Remembering
by inuyashagirl
Summary: Inuyasha battles between two choices. When the jewel has been completed, an evil youkai makes a move for it. When Inuyasha must chose between cursed life or death, what comes next? note: i'm really bad at summaries, but the story's okay. COMPLETE
1. The Past and the Future

The wind felt so good in his hair, cool and gentle. His eyes were locked on the luminous silvery orb above him. It was beautiful, in a haunting, lonely way. So beautiful.  
  
"Inuyasha?" The girl with long, black hair called up. "What are you doing up there?"  
  
"Nothin'." He replied irritably, not moving his eyes from the mysterious moon.  
  
"Why don't you come down? I can't sleep and no one else is awake." She asked, watching his shadowy form stir.  
  
"What do you need me for?" he growled irritably, he didn't want to see her tonight, not with the moon drawing out such old memories.  
  
"Company's always nice." She replied gently, wanting him to come down.  
  
"Feh.Go back to sleep, Kagome. We're gonna be walking a long way tomorrow." He told her, hoping she'd let him alone.  
  
"Fine, I can take a hint." She said angrily, and stormed away.  
  
Inuyasha frowned inwardly, he hated it when she was angry with him. She'd be fine by morning, though. That was Kagome, swift to anger, swift to be calmed. Kagome. She was the same to look at her. The same long dark hair, the same long legs and arms, the same iron determination. But she was different, Kikyo was different. Kikyo had been graceful, like the wind itself, and she rarely smiled. Kikyo had been sad, and Inuyasha believed that she wouldn't have been so sad without him. Kikyo was old before her time. Her eyes were so dark, they had seen such death and fear, her heart was so cold, that even when she loved, it only went as far as her loyalty. Kagome, though, Kagome was not graceful at all, and more often than not landed in a heap on the ground. Kagome was proud, Kagome was smart. Kagome smiled. She smiled easily, and she did it most often when she was around Inuyasha.  
  
The moon holds such memories, Inuyasha thought. "You won't let me forget will you?" he asked bitterly. In a way he supposed it was better this way, that he couldn't forget, because now, he would never let Kagome get hurt the way Kikyo had. It was my fault. He reminded himself, "I never should have left her alone. I should have stayed with her that day."  
  
Kagome leaned against a broad tree just outside the camp. She didn't want to wake Sango or Miroku. She couldn't let them hear the tears she felt in her chest. "Why do I even care?" she whispered to the moon sadly. "Why does it even matter?" she knew the answer and hated the moon for not saying it for her. As if the moon really hears me, as if anyone really hears me." She said bitterly, laying her head down on her knees and crying softly. After several minutes, sleep overtook her there.  
  
Someone had heard her words, though, and they struck him to the soul. Inuyasha had never regretted treating anyone so in his life, but now he did. "Kagome." he sighed and gently picked her up, careful not to wake her. He carried her back to camp and lay her down on the bedroll next to the small kitsune. "Kagome, I hear you." he sighed, leaping back into the tree, but not facing the moon this time, now his eyes were on the silent form on the sleeping bag.  
  
Kagome opened her eyes a crack, she could feel some eyes on her. She caught sight of the crouched form in the tree, and she smiled as she drifted back to sleep. "Inuyasha." 


	2. Goodbye to Old Friends

Morning came with it's tie-dyed colors streaking the sky. Navy blues and wild orange melded together and instead of clashing, they seemed perfect together. Complete opposites are somehow better than any other combinations.  
  
Kagome yawned sleepily. She didn't remember making her way back to the sleeping bag last night, but there she was, Shippo curled against her side like a fuzzy pet. He felt her wake up and yawned too, stretching like a little dog. "G'morning." He mumbled lazily.  
  
"Good morning, Shippo." She said cheerfully, sitting up and looking around the camp. Inuyasha was gone, most likely out hunting. He always did that before dawn, because each morning, he had a fresh rabbit, bird, or other meat there to be cooked. Sometimes he would only bring back half of the carcass, and she sincerely wondered if he was eating part of it raw. "He is half youkai after all." She reminded herself.  
  
"I'm hungry, Kagome." Shippo complained, rubbing sleep-filled eyes to wake up.  
  
"I have a granola bar in my backpack if you go get washed up." She told him. He yelped excitedly. Sugar of any kind was a special treat for him since there wasn't much of it in the feudal era. Kagome didn't think it was a good idea to feed him M&M's at this time in the morning, so an Apple & Cinnamon Granola Bar was going to have to do.  
  
After bouncing on Sango's and Miroku's sleeping forms, he bounced off toward the stream they'd camped by the previous night. "Wow, doesn't Inuyasha usually wake us up before now?" Sango muttered sleepily. "It's after sunrise."  
  
'That is odd. He's usually back by now.' Kagome thought, feeling a little concerned. "I'm sure he'll come back soon. He probably is just having some trouble finding anything to bring back."  
  
Miroku and Sango seemed satisfied with the answer, but Kagome wasn't. Inuyasha had been acting very strange recently. He'd just been sad, sort of, and not quite as mean to her recently. Kagome glanced up, seeing Miroku and Sango sneak off toward the woods. "Humph." Kagome grunted irritably. They'd certainly been friendlier with one another over the past few days. "But then they don't have to be afraid anymore." she thought sadly.  
  
Naraku, the possessor of nearly fifty jewel shards, was finally dead. Completely destroyed when Kagome had used some sort of attack of pure white light. It had killed all the demons in the area, including all of Naraku's evil little kids, and Kohaku, too. Kagome couldn't remember any of it. In fact, she couldn't remember anything from the past week. Inuyasha had not really talked to her. In fact, no one had. They had all moved on as though it had never happened, searching for the rest of the jewel shards. Her bottle was crammed full of them now. There couldn't be many left now.  
  
Kagome shook her head. She didn't know what would happen now. Defeating Naraku, that had been the glue between them. Now what would hold them together? There was nothing left, not really. Friendship only held people together, and in all reality, a true friend would not ask Miroku and Sango to give up their plans and their happiness so they could continue on some insane search.  
  
Kagome made a decision, a snap decision, and ran off after Sango and Miroku. This was the right decision, she knew. Kagome moved quickly, and quietly like Inuyasha had taught her to. Soon, she heard hushed voices and laughter coming from in the brush. Kagome parted leaves and peered through curiously. Where were they?  
  
The sight that lay before her shocked her, no doubt, but it didn't really surprise her. Miroku and Sango were kissing, and both of them seemed to have discarded a good bit of their clothes. Kagome darted back from the bush and walked back toward camp, then paused for several seconds. "Sango! Miroku!" she called, alerting them to her presence. "Where are you guys?" she yelled.  
  
"Oh crap!" she heard Sango say in a hushed voice, followed by giggling. Miroku said a similar exclamation, but with stronger language.  
  
"Sango! Miroku!" she called again, charging through the bushes this time, hoping they'd managed to collect themselves in time.  
  
Sango and Miroku sat far apart, trying to look innocent, and Kagome stifled a grin that threatened to spread across her face. "Hey guys, we really need to talk." She said, remembering her serious thought that she had sought them out with.  
  
"Uh. okay." Sango said, standing up and walking over to Miroku, and flopping down beside him.  
  
"What's going on Kagome?" Miroku asked warily. Kagome could be scary when she was mad, and he hoped she wasn't mad at him.  
  
"First of all.I know!" she informed them.  
  
Sango turned bright pink, and Miroku seemed to pale noticeably, "A - about what, Kagome?" Sango asked shakily.  
  
Kagome glared at them, "I'm sixteen now guys. I've been fighting demons for a year now, and nothing fools me anymore. You think you two are keeping a secret here? Please!" she scolded.  
  
Miroku clapped his hands together sharply, "Kagome, I - " he began, but stopped when Kagome held up her hand silencing him.  
  
"Listen guys. It's fine, but you have to do something for me." She said sadly.  
  
Sango nodded, "You're our friend, Kagome. What ever you need."  
  
Kagome smiled again, "I need you to be happy." She looked across the forest, half expecting to see Inuyasha come striding toward her. "I want you two to go to Kaede's village." She told them pointedly.  
  
"Sure." Miroku said warily. "What do you want?"  
  
"No, you don't get it. I want you two to go live there. I want you to go start a family, and give up this search." She told them.  
  
"Kagome! We're in this together. We're friends. We entered in this thing together, and we'll end this thing together." Sango insisted defiantly.  
  
"No." Kagome argued, "We did not enter this together." She told them pointedly. "We entered defeating Naraku together, and that's done." Sango didn't argue, and Miroku just glared at them. "You said you give me whatever I needed." Kagome reminded them.  
  
Miroku looked at her angrily, for the first time he ever had, "Then I break my word. I cannot abandon you or Inuyasha, Kagome. I'm a man, you don't need to worry about my safety. And Sango, she's killed more demons that you'll ever know."  
  
Kagome shook her head and laughed, "I'm not asking you for your safety or strength Miroku. I'm asking you because this is what I want for you. But I'm not done." She said, hoping they'd listen. "I want you to take Shippo." She said.  
  
Sango blinked at her in surprise, "Shippo?"  
  
Kagome nodded, "He's so little and he's already seen so much death and blood. He may be a kitsune, but he's also a little boy, and he needs a normal childhood." They didn't answer, "If something happens to me, I want to know that he'll be safe."  
  
"What about Inuyasha? Are you going to banish him to the village too?" Sango attacked angrily. "Are you going to tell him you can do it on your own?" she said glaring at Kagome, "What about him? Why won't he care for Shippo."  
  
Kagome smiled sadly, "You know as well as I do that if I die, Inuyasha would already be dead."  
  
Miroku sighed, "Kagome, as your friend, I should force you to allow me to stay. But I can't, not knowing what it's like."  
  
Miroku laughed bitterly, "Being terrified for those you love. Being worried every second that you won't be there in time to save them. Worrying that it might be your own power that does them in."  
  
Sango stared at him in surprise. "You actually worried about that? I mean, Miroku, that's just crazy."  
  
"I don't care if it is crazy." Kagome told her. "You have to do this for me, guys. Please. Inuyasha and I started this journey together, just the two of us, and we'll finish it together, just the two of us."  
  
Sango sighed, and looked over at Miroku. She could see the battle raging in those dark eyes. She knew that he felt the same way she did, however, she also knew that what Kagome asked wasn't that much. Kagome asked that she go and live a happy, safe life. She asked that Sango have what her heart desired. It felt so right. "Kagome, are you sure?"  
  
Kagome nodded, a single tear sliding down her face. "Yes." It was decided then. They would go home and wait for the jewel seekers to return, and Kagome and Inuyasha, they would continue the journey just as it had started. She turned and made her way into the underbrush, pausing just before she disappeared out of sight. "Oh, and Miroku?"  
  
"Yes, Kagome?" he asked, staring at her intensely.  
  
"Just thought you might like to know that your robe's on backwards." And disappeared from their sight. 


	3. The Living and the Dead

Once, long ago, Inuyasha had loved someone. He had loved her deeply, or so he thought. But now, it was strange, what he'd felt, it seemed superficial, fake. This new feeling, it was like what he'd felt for Kikyo, but it was different, more powerful. He preferred the repeat to the original.  
  
"No!" He argued with himself, she wasn't a repeat, she was the new and improved. He shook his head. What am I thinking here? He questioned bitterly. He knew Kagome shared nothing more than her soul with Kikyo. Her personality, her heart, her mind, they were all completely different, and he realized that perhaps, he wasn't meant to love Kikyo in the first place. Perhaps he was meant to love Kagome, and had simply recognized her soul.  
  
Inuyasha picked up a stone from the ground and skipped it across the water. It skittered to the other side and landed with a SPLOOSH and sank beneath the surface. He crossed his legs, flopping to the ground and watching the fading rings on the surface of the pond. "Feh. . ." he muttered irritably at nothing in particular.  
  
Kagome had been acting oddly recently. She'd banished Miroku, now nearly useless without his wind tunnel, and Sango, a powerful fighter, to Kaede's village to raise Shippo. She'd been very quiet recently, and he couldn't remember the last time she'd sat him, not that he was complaining of course. She hadn't asked to go home, and she hadn't given any indication of what she was up to.  
  
Inuyasha flicked his ear as a fly landed on it. Today everything irritated him, and Kagome's odd behavior was further frustrating him. He glared at a water skipper as it made its way across the placid water. "Stupid bug. . ." he muttered, and stood up, making his way back to Kagome's scent. What was she doing? He smelled something burning, and wondered if she'd been trying to cook. Kagome couldn't cook anything but instant ramen, and trying generally produced some very black food.  
  
He raced along, hoping she hadn't caught the ground on fire again. It had been terribly hard to put out and his foot had been badly burned. It was healed, now, but he winced remembering the pain. Sure enough, Kagome crouched beside a fire spewing black smoke into the air. Inuyasha coughed, the heavy smoke nearly overwhelming his sensitive nose. He quickly threw dirt onto the fire, digging like a dog and putting the dangerous flames out.  
  
"Kagome! What are you doing?" He snarled furiously.  
  
"Eep!" She yelped, "Sorry Inuyasha." She said, pulling a rather crumpled, dirty and blackened pan out of the former fire pit.  
  
"What were you thinking?!" Inuyasha demanded, "You could have burnt the entire forest down!"  
  
"I was trying to bake a cake!" She argued angrily. "I thought it would be a nice change from all the poor wildlife we've been devouring!"  
  
Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, "Is it supposed to look like that?" He questioned, poking the hard black rectangle stuck in the aluminum pan.  
  
Kagome glared at him, "What do you think? Why not eat some of it and see?" She snapped and hurled the pan into the bushes.  
  
"Err. . ." he muttered, and turned away.  
  
"What?"  
  
Inuyasha shook himself, "We should move on today. You haven't sensed any jewel shards, and we're wasting time." He informed her and began burying the fire-pit.  
  
"Right. Hey, before we go any farther, I'd like to go see Sango and Miroku. It's been nearly a month since we've seen them." She told him, "And besides, I told Shippo we'd visit, and so far, we haven't." Inuyasha didn't respond, and she took his silence as an agreement to her plan. "Right, then. I have to go to the bathroom, so you wait here." She said simply and made her way into the shady wood.  
  
She walked for several minutes, not really needing to go to the bathroom, but wanting a reason to get away from Inuyasha for a few minutes. No matter what she did, she always seemed to screw up. No doubt Kikyo was perfect. No doubt Kikyo never caught the forest on fire. No doubt Kikyo never burned a cake into a block of charcoal. Kagome laughed at herself. What did it matter anyway? Inuyasha, he still loved her, and he viewed Kagome as a replacement, sort of a repeat or a copy. He only kept her around because she reminded him of the love of his life. "Stupid, stupid!" She scolded herself furiously. "He doesn't want me!" She told herself.  
  
"I couldn't agree more." Came a soft, clear voice. Kagome whirled, seeing a slightly older reflection of her own face.  
  
"Kikyo!" She hissed.  
  
"You know, for so long, I wanted only to kill him. I only wanted him to die by my hand as I died by his. But then, I learned the truth, who had actually killed me. And Inuyasha, he risked his own life to avenge me. But you are in the way." Kikyo said, holding her arm out in front of her, a powerful blast emanating from her palm, slamming Kagome against a tree, bands of bluish light pinning her against the bark. "I no longer want him to die with me. Instead, I'd rather live with him."  
  
Kagome glared at her defiantly, "You're dead, and no amount of evil can fix that!"  
  
Kikyo laughed mirthlessly, "No. You're right, but the jewel can."  
  
Kagome swallowed painfully, "The jewel isn't complete. You can't use it!" she informed her.  
  
The older girl smiled, "I believe these are the final shards, though. These are all that's left in the world." She told Kagome, dangling a small bag in front of her face.  
  
"Inuyasha loves you! What do you want with me? Why not just go to him?" Kagome said bitterly. "I don't have anything you want!"  
  
Kikyo raised her eyebrow in surprise. "You forget something, Kagome. You do have something of mine. You have my soul." Kagome raised her eyes to Kikyo's, but no words came to her mind. A thousand insults, numberless attacks, all swam around in her head, but not a single word to retaliate against Kikyo's claim. Kikyo picked Kagome's bow up from the ground where she'd dropped it. "It's ironic, you know. You're going to die by your own weapon." She told Kagome with a twist of glee in her voice. She notched the arrow deliberately, delighting in the fear that filled Kagome's eyes.  
  
"I hate you!" Kagome screamed, "I am not your reincarnation! I could not be so heartless, so evil!"  
  
Kikyo laughed, "Try being dead and see what it does to your disposition." And let the arrow fly.  
  
A blur of red cloth and white hair ripped through the trees, and a slash of deadly claws shattered the arrow inches before it would have struck Kagome's face. "Kikyo. . ." breathed Inuyasha.  
  
"Inuyasha. . ." Kikyo returned, piercing him with a steady gaze.  
  
"Why are you trying to kill Kagome!" Inuyasha demanded, planting himself in Kikyo's path to Kagome.  
  
Kikyo watched him for a moment, not responding to his question. "Why do you not want me to have my soul?" She asked him, a twinge of hurt and resentment filling her voice.  
  
Inuyasha let out a whoosh of air, "Kikyo. . . you're dead, you just haven't accepted it." He said helplessly. "You can't go on like this."  
  
She watched him for a second, as if contemplating his words, "So. . ." she began slowly, "You wish for me to die?"  
  
Inuyasha closed his eyes briefly, "No, Kikyo. I don't want you to die, but you can't live again. You have to let go."  
  
Kikyo shook her head slowly, "You're wrong. I can live again, and to do that, I'm going to kill her." She said indicating Kagome.  
  
"I can't let you." Inuyasha told her. "You cannot harm Kagome. I won't let you."  
  
Kikyo laughed at him, her voice sounding brittle and harsh, "You won't let me? Inuyasha! You've never been able to harm me once in your life!"  
  
Inuyasha cracked his knuckles in preparation. "Kikyo."  
  
He wouldn't dare harm me. Kikyo told herself confidently and walked up to Kagome.  
  
"Kikyo, I'm warning you." Inuyasha growled. Kikyo didn't look at him, and shoved him out of her path, pulling Tetsusaiga from its sheath.  
  
Kagome watched her in anger. "You filthy corpse!" she yelled, "You can't treat him like that! Let go of me and you'll regret the day you were born!"  
  
Kikyo laughed. "Good-bye Kagome. You've been more trouble than you'll ever know." She said, and raised Tetsusaiga above her head. Even in its untransformed form, it was a sword, and could cut. Suddenly she froze, her eyes glazing and resting on Kagome as Tetsusaiga fell harmlessly from her hands. "No. . ." She protested weakly, "He. . . chose you. . ." she choked, a trickle of blacking blood running from her mouth.  
  
Kikyo collapsed to the ground, dissolving into dust. Kagome was released from Kikyo's spell, but couldn't move just the same. Inuyasha stood before her, staring at his hands. He'd chosen, he realized. He'd made the decision, and it hadn't been hard. In fact, he realized, it had been one of the easiest in his life. Inuyasha raised his amber eyes to Kagome, capturing her in his gaze. "I. . ." he stuttered, "I. . . killed her."  
  
Kagome couldn't breath. She felt like darkness was consuming her. Her legs seemed to turn to jelly under her and she found herself falling. She was caught in strong arms before she struck the ground, and faded into blackness.  
  
Hey guys. Sorry it took me so long to update. I wasn't really sure how to continue with the story. I have a habit of flying by the seat of my pants with stories, so just so you know, generally I have absolutely no idea how long a story is going to be or how it's going to turn out. Hence, suggestions are always helpful. Plus, I like to know what people think of my story. I'm a very vain little toady and I like to have people tell me what they think of my story. So hope you enjoyed this! Have a cool day. 


	4. Understanding the Heart

Kagome clenched her hands as she woke up, sighing softly. Inuyasha was carrying her on his back as he ran. "Mmmm. . ." she sighed, and he slowed to a halt.  
  
"You're awake." He remarked and lowered her to the ground.  
  
"Yeah. . ." she said, rubbing her eyes and trying to clear the cobwebs out of her mind. Suddenly it all came flooding back to her, everything that happened the previous night. Her eyes locked with his amber and chocolate latched together. Kagome reached out slowly touching his face. "Inuyasha."  
  
He moved away from her. "Don't, Kagome." He had to pool all his strength into the small motion. It was the most difficult thing he'd ever done.  
  
Kagome pulled her hand back, feeling as though she'd been burned. "I'm sorry." Somehow, she'd thought that something had changed, that maybe he had chosen her out of love. It was clear to her now, that Inuyasha was telling her he didn't want her in any way, shape, or form. He was rejecting her.  
  
Inuyasha watched her out of the corner of his eye. She didn't understand. Maybe someday she would. He flexed his hands sporadically, trying to resist the urge to pull her to him, to tell her how much he loved her. But he did. He resisted. It was best, she would never be safe with him.  
  
Kagome stood up, she felt numb. Before she knew what was happening, she was running, as fast as she could. She couldn't stop. Her breath was coming heavily in her chest, and tears poured from her eyes, but they felt like they were being ripped from her soul. She kept running, she couldn't feel her legs anymore, but she ran on blindly, as though she could outrun the pain. Suddenly she fell, hitting the ground hard without even trying to soften the blow. She lay on the grass; heaving air into her lungs, dry sobs breaking through her catching breath.  
  
Inuyasha followed her at a safe distance. He felt like the scum of the earth. He could smell her tears. With a hoarse groan, he knew he couldn't stop himself, he knew he couldn't let her think he didn't love her. He couldn't.  
  
His feet pounded the ground and he raced along, following the trail of tears. He found her, laying face down in the grass, sobbing her soul out. "Kagome." He whispered.  
  
"No." she said firmly, and tried to move away, but her energy was spent and her legs could not support her weight. "Leave me alone Inuyasha." She croaked anguish filling her voice.  
  
Inuyasha caught her as she fell, holding her in his arms like a child. "Kagome."  
  
"No!" she screamed, "I understand Inuyasha! I get it! You don't want me around you! You don't love me!"  
  
"Stop it!" he snapped angrily. "You don't understand anything."  
  
Kagome stopped trying to get away. "I understand enough." She refused to meet his eyes, and focused on the silvery sky through the canopy of tree limbs above.  
  
"No you don't." Inuyasha told her. Kagome looked at him in surprise at the feeling in his voice. "You don't."  
  
Kagome stared into his amber eyes, now a murky golden. "Then tell me. Tell me what's wrong with me. Make me understand."  
  
"I don't want to hurt you, Kagome, but I love you too much." He said sadly. "Every person I have ever cared about died terrible deaths. They all suffer because they choose to love me. I can't let that happen to you. The jewel. . . we have all the pieces now." He told her, "You have to go home, Kagome."  
  
Kagome shook her head wearily, "I'm not going anywhere, Inuyasha."  
  
Inuyasha refused to look at her, and focused his eyes away on some faraway unseen object. "You have to Kagome. I can't. . .I have to know you'll be safe."  
  
"Inuyasha. . ." Kagome whispered, catching his face in her hands and turning his face toward her. "Look at me." She demanded softly. There was shadowed pain in those golden eyes. "I love you, Inuyasha. Nothing will change that, not even trying to force me away."  
  
He sat down heavily, leaning against a smooth-barked tree. He didn't say anything, but just pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair. The wild black mass smelled soft and sweet. It sent his nose reeling and desperate for more of the scent. He made a decision, silently and unconsciously, that he would never let her go. Nothing but his own death could separate him from this girl. Nothing would take him from Kagome. 


	5. Steel and Shadows

The rain came swift and heavy from the steely sky, drenching her to the bone, it seemed. She sighed and buried her face in Inuyasha's back, clinging to him as he raced along. She laid her cheek between his shoulder blades, feeling his heartbeat against her face. Inuyasha was eager to return to Kaede's village. Though he would never admit it, she knew he missed Sango, Miroku, and Shippo. They were his family, forged by blood and friendship.  
  
Inuyasha leapt up into a tall tree, and perched, Kagome on his back, on one of the highest limb. "Look, Kagome." He commanded gently, golden eyes taking in the landscape beyond them.  
  
Kagome peered over his shoulder curiously. It was a strange world, that was for sure. The silvery sky had hardened to intense steel, gleaming fiercely like a warrior's sword. It was unnerving the way the brilliant emerald treetops seemed to reach up to the sky's anger. The hills seemed to stretch on forever, smooth jade knoll after knoll. A loud snap of thunder in the distance made her jump. Inuyasha laughed softly, and laid his hand over hers on his shoulder.  
  
Despite being startled, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene below. It was beautiful, if a bit scary, and in a way almost sad, though she couldn't place her finger on the reason why. "Wow. . ."  
  
"When I was a little kid, I used hide in the trees in the thunderstorms. It was dangerous, and my mother didn't like it, but I did it anyway." Inuyasha told her softly. Kagome smiled. Inuyasha rarely told her anything about his childhood, but when he did, she took it to heart, imagining a tiny Inuyasha hiding in the trees, or chasing after grasshoppers, or whatever he might be telling her.  
  
Kagome carefully slipped off his back, balancing precariously on the slippery limb. "It's funny." She remarked, "I've never liked thunderstorms. They always make me nervous, but today, I'm not scared, not even a little nervous." She told him, and felt perfectly safe with her here next to him.  
  
"Heh." Inuyasha laughed. "We should move on. I just wanted you to see it from up here." He said simply, and turned for her to climb on.  
  
She did so carefully, latching her hands onto his shoulders and hiding her face behind his head. He leapt out of the tree, small branches snapping. Leaves brushed on them, adding more water to their already drenched clothing. Then he was running again. She sighed in contentment, though she was wet and cold, suddenly things didn't seem to be able to get any better. The jewel was complete, all the pieces safely tucked into her backpack, Naraku was dead, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were safe in the village, Kikyo was gone, but most importantly, Inuyasha was hers.  
  
Inuyasha skidded to an abrupt halt; something was wrong here, he could sense it. There was a heavy smell in the air, a dark smell. He moved along cautiously, waiting, expecting an attack at any moment. He wasn't disappointed, for in a flash he was surrounded. Shadowy, misty figures with softly shimmering blue eyes stood around him silently, waiting, watching.  
  
Kagome shifted anxiously, "Inuyasha. . ."  
  
"Shh!" he hissed, and launched into an attack, slashing one of the figures in two. It did not seem to be hurt, for the mist simply swirled around, repairing it as though it had never happened. The creatures did not attack, but simply stood around him, following however he moved. "Damn it!" He swore in frustration. He had never faced an enemy that did not attack, and could not be attacked.  
  
"Calm yourself, Lord Inuyasha." A low, husky voice said softly. Inuyasha whirled around, nearly losing Kagome. A woman leaned idly on a tree branch just above the trail.  
  
"Who are you?" Inuyasha demanded, slashing through another of the creatures, which only reformed itself.  
  
"Me? I am called Mariko." She said simply, as though that were a sufficient explanation.  
  
"Mind telling me why your shadow puppets are following me?" He snapped.  
  
She tilted her head, wild black curls framing her face. She idly examined long amethyst fingernails, before returning her black eyes to Inuyasha. "I told them to."  
  
Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, as if expecting her to say more. When she didn't, he nearly snarled at her, asking, "What for?"  
  
"You have the Jewel of Four Souls, the sacred Shikon no Tama. I want it. I waited patiently after that little fool on your back destroyed it." Mariko frowned in boredom. "I knew she'd collect the pieces, but you were an unexpected factor in the plan." She told him, "A human is predictable, a youkai is predictable, but a hanyou, well, that's another story entirely. You're not quite human, and you're not quite youkai. It's been hard keeping an eye on you, let me tell you."  
  
"You expect me to give you the jewel?" Inuyasha snorted, "Then you're a fool."  
  
Mariko glared at him fiercely, "I am no fool. If you're refusing my request, then you will die."  
  
"If you only knew how many times I've heard that." Inuyasha laughed, "You shouldn't bother wasting your breath." He lowered Kagome to the ground. "Kagome, stay out of the way. I don't know what to expect here."  
  
Kagome nodded reluctantly, and slid off his back, holding her pack tightly to her chest. Hopefully the youkai woman would not know the jewel shards were in it. Kagome slipped between the shadow demons, they didn't even seem to notice her. "Give me the bag, girl, or I will destroy him."  
  
Kagome met her gaze defiantly, "What do you want my bag for?"  
  
Mariko smirked, "Do not think me a game, girl. That bag has the jewel in it, and unless you want to see your lover ripped to shreds, you'll give it to me."  
  
"Don't you dare, Kagome. I destroyed worse than these." Inuyasha shouted.  
  
Kagome met the youkai's gaze steadily. "You would take the jewel then destroy us both." She remarked, her calm brown eyes never wavering. "I have nothing to fear, however. You'll be a memory by sundown." Kagome dropped her bag to the ground and pulled her bow and arrows out of it. The black haired woman watched disinterestedly as she pulled the arrow back, and let it fly.  
  
Brilliant pink sparkles rippled from the arrow, but Mariko deftly caught it between her fingers, turning it idly. "A miko, eh? Lord Inuyasha, you have many surprises for me." With a flick of her wrist, the arrow lodged itself in a nearby tree, quivering from the impact.  
  
Kagome swallowed. Sometimes she wondered why she even bothered. It was rare she ever hit anyone with the arrows. "Okay then." She murmured nervously.  
  
"Why do you bother calling me that, when you're planning to try to kill me?" Inuyasha snapped, glaring at her through her shadowy henchman.  
  
"Shall we not have any of the niceties of civilized people then?" she questioned sadly. "Very well. It is time. But first. . ." she said, snapping her fingers out toward Kagome, a swirling black cloud emanating from her fingertips. It swirled around Kagome, forming a dome over her. "Annoying little wretch."  
  
"What are you doing?" Inuyasha demanded furiously.  
  
"It's a game. See, how long do you think she can survive in there without any air? An hour, maybe two? Either way, it's not long. Make her give me the jewel, or I'll wait until she's dead then take them from her corpse." Mariko told him sharply. Kagome pounded her fists on the shadowy barrier, screaming at the top of her lungs, though no sound escaped the sealed dome.  
  
"You're sick." Inuyasha snarled.  
  
"Are you ready? Here it comes." Mariko smirked sadistically. The battle began. 


	6. Self Inflicted Injury

The shadowy figures arched their arms out, locking them together in a hazy fence. Luminous blue orbs were the only things to distinguish one creature from another. Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga, holding it low to the ground. It shimmered softly amongst the shadows, and he smiled. "It's all over."  
  
Inuyasha launched his attack, long fingers of jagged energy streaking out from Tetsusaiga's blade. They stretched out and struck the shadows, bouncing off and heading directly back at him. He was forced to dodge his own attack for several minutes until it was driven into the ground. What was that? He thought irritably. Never before had the sword done that before.  
  
Mariko shook her head, idly examining her amethyst fingernails. "Keep it up, Inuyasha. It'll be over soon."  
  
With an angry grunt, Inuyasha raced toward him, the shadows following his steps, never moving away. He leapt forward, claws drawn, and slashed down her form. She looked at him in surprise and amusement as a heavy shadowy layer prevented any harm from being done to her. Instead, it ripped back from the barrier, tearing into Inuyasha's own body. Inuyasha cried out in pain. "What the hell?" He ground out.  
  
The dark haired woman smirked. "Don't you get it?" she slid a dark fingernail across her palm, smirking. "Don't you understand the spell?" she laughed. Inuyasha stared at his own palm in shock. Her wound had appeared on his hand, with no damage to her own. "Whatever happens to me, you take the effects of."  
  
Inuyasha stared at her in silent shock, hoping none of the horror would show on his face. How do you defeat an enemy when your attacks only hurt yourself? For several minutes, he stood there staring at her. The only way was to escape her miserable shadows. He dodged towards, them slashing and ripping, and the attacks only came back, striking him. "You cannot escape, and look! I think she's running out of air!" Mariko smirked, tilting her head cheerfully at Kagome.  
  
Kagome was on her knees, breathing heavily, trying to get enough air. Her hands lay limply against the shadowy barrier as she watched him, fearful eyes never wavering. Inuyasha darted forward, latching his hand around Mariko's throat. She watched him in amusement. "What now?" she asked.  
  
Inuyasha glared at her, "Maybe you can deflect anything I throw at you, but what happens if I run my sword through you?" he said with a grin. Before she could reply, he shoved the sword out, grinding it through her body. He stumbled backwards, pulling the blade from her body, and stared in horror at his own stomach. Reddish purple blood seeped through his kimono, drenching down the front of him into a pool at his feet.  
  
"Anything you do to me, you feel the effects." She told him gleefully, twisted joy filling her face. "This is why I never lose."  
  
Inuyasha stared at his sword. Perhaps. . .  
  
He stared right at her for a moment, indecisive, not sure if the conclusion he had reached was the correct one. "Anything I do to you, I feel the effects. . ." he muttered haltingly, pain clogging his voice.  
  
Mariko smirked contentedly. "This is your final battle, Inuyasha."  
  
Inuyasha stared at Tetsusagia for several moments longer, then moved his gaze to Kagome. She wasn't moving., she might already be dead. It has to work. He thought desperately, and slowly turned the blade toward himself, holding it at his own chest. He gritted his teeth and looked at Mariko.  
  
"No! Don't do that!" she shrieked, as he forced the sword into his own body. He hissed in pain, and watched her. A gaping black wound appeared in her chest, and coughed. "No. . ." and dissolved into shadowy vapors, to be dispelled by the wind. Inuyasha pulled Tetsusaiga from his own body and forced it into the sheath, then stumbled to the ground, holding his hands over his wounds. The one in his chest didn't fade away, but remained there. Inuyasha collapsed to the ground, face down in mud formed from soil and his own blood. 


	7. The Beating of his Heart

Inuyasha dragged himself up. He was bleeding badly, he could feel his strength drain out of him with the scarlet liquid. He could hardly move, but he had to, she needed him. Inuyasha struggled to remember. . . where was she? Inuyasha collapsed on the wet ground, it was already soaked with blood, and he committed more of the viscous liquid to the soil. "Kagome. . ." He groaned.  
  
"Inuyasha!" he heard her voice, she was safe. . . she was alive. Kagome rushed up to him, falling to her knees in the bloody mud. "Inuyasha?" she whispered, pulling him onto her lap and gently stroking his face. "Someone! Anyone! Help me!" She screamed into the still evening air. The sun was setting and the steely sky was blazed with scarlet streams like blood.  
  
"Ka. . .Ka. . .go. . .me. . ." he sighed painfully.  
  
Kagome held back tears as she looked at his broken body. In all the battles he'd fought, none had ever left him so badly wounded. "It'll be okay, Inuyasha! Really it will be! I promise!" She choked out, losing her battle with the tears.  
  
"The jewel. . ." Inuyasha murmured; haze was filling his vision. "Shards. . ."  
  
Kagome's voice broke in a sob. "I have them. It's okay."  
  
Inuyasha smiled at her, the blood on his face being washed away by her tears falling on him. "Good. . .you. . .go home. . ."  
  
Kagome stared at him for a moment. He was delirious with pain, she could tell the way his eyes stared straight ahead as though locked onto something. "What? Not now, Inuyasha. . ." Kagome said, looping his arm around her shoulder and struggling to her feet. "Come on, we have to go back to Kaede."  
  
He stared at her a moment, "Shards. . .you have. . ." he insisted.  
  
"Yes!" She said in exasperation, wondering if he didn't realize what he was saying. "They're here."  
  
"Naraku. . ." Inuyasha ground out, struggling to keep his mind clear. "Shards. . ."  
  
"What?" Kagome sobbed in frustration and fear, "Stop it Inuyasha! Listen, Naraku's dead! You killed him, remember? The shards, I have them all!" she insisted, a cold coil of fear twisting in her stomach.  
  
"No. . .Sango. . .Kohaku. . .shards. . ." he murmured, she wasn't understanding.  
  
Suddenly Kagome understood. She gently lowered him to the ground, and pulled at her backpack anxiously searching for the bottle that held the shards of the jewel. "The shards. . ." she murmured, remembering the trick Naraku had used so many times. The jewel could sustain him until they got back to Kaede. The jewel shard could keep him from dying.  
  
Kagome's hands shook as she pulled out a single shard, hoping it would be enough. Shaking fingers gently pushed the shard into Inuyasha's ragged flesh. It was badly shredded after the battle. "He's a hanyou. . . he'll heal, if he can stay alive long enough. . ."  
  
Inuyasha grunted in agony when he felt Kagome pushing the sharp, glass-like shard into his wound. At first, nothing happened, but then the pain ebbed away, like waves at the low tide. "Kagome. . ." he muttered, he was so tired, "Thank you. . ."  
  
Kagome stared at him, "Inuyasha? What now? We have to get you back to the village! Maybe Kaede can help you! Otherwise, you're going to the hospital! I don't care what people think!"  
  
Inuyasha clamped his hand over his chest, expecting a wave of pain to follow, but it didn't. Instead it was like he couldn't even feel the wound and aside from being exhausted, he felt perfectly fine, as though nothing had happened to him. "Kagome. . .I feel fine." He told her in surprise.  
  
"Inuyasha! Look at your wounds! It's a miracle you're not dead! We have to get you some medical help right away!" She shrieked, shoving the bottle of shards back into her pack. "Come on! We need to hurry! That shard's just suppressing the pain!"  
  
Inuyasha nodded, he knew she was right. Right now, though he felt perfectly fine, if a bit tired. He could have carried Kagome, her pack, and her silly bicycle with no problem. Kagome wouldn't allow it, that he knew, so he resigned himself to hanging onto the back of her bike and making sure not to fall off.  
  
The villagers were terrified when Inuyasha and Kagome entered the town. Inuyasha was soaked in his own blood, his silvery hair soaked and hanging in dark red clumps around his face. Even his ears were coated in it. Kagome was similarly covered, but with Inuyasha's blood instead of her own. Her legs were streaked with black mud and blood along with her clothes and the rest of her body.  
  
Inuyasha felt funny, not like he was hurt exactly, but more like he was falling asleep. "Hmmm. . ." He murmured sleepily as Kaede and Kagome dragged him into Kaede's small hut.  
  
Kaede cleaned the ghastly wound, and washed the blood off Inuyasha. She could see the shard in his chest; it glowed softly in his torn flesh. Kaede sighed and stood up slowly, making her way out of the hut. "Come, Kagome. We must speak."  
  
Kagome followed her outside, a bitter feeling of foreboding clawing at her throat. "Kaede?"  
  
Kaede didn't look at her for a moment. "You used a shard to keep him alive." She said, half accusingly, half wonderingly.  
  
Kagome nodded, wondering where this was going. "Yes, I didn't have a choice. I remembered that Sango had a jewel shard in her back when she fought Inuyasha. It sustained her when she was dying. . ."  
  
"Yes, Kagome, but Sango is human, and Sango's injuries weren't fatal." Kaede sighed wearily. "Oh Kagome, what to do now?"  
  
Kagome shook her head, "I don't understand. Will Inuyasha be alright?"  
  
"Oh, aye." Kaede sighed, "As long as the shard of the jewel remains in his flesh."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome demanded shrilly.  
  
"Do you remember Sango's younger brother, Kohaku?" She questioned, but did not give Kagome time to reply to the question, "He was dead, only sustained by the power of the jewel in his back."  
  
Kagome nodded, she knew this, "But, Inuyasha's not dead, Kaede."  
  
The old woman frowned, "No, because you put a jewel shard in his side before he died."  
  
Kagome frowned, "Won't the wound heal?"  
  
Kaede nodded, "Oh aye, but the jewel is what sustains him. He should be dead, Kagome. Those injuries should have killed him."  
  
Kagome frowned, "So even when he's healed, removing the shard will kill him?" The old woman nodded. "Great. . ." Kagome muttered in frustration, "That's just great."  
  
The old miko sighed sadly, "You realize what must be done, don't you?"  
  
Kagome stared at her in horror, "You must be kidding! I could never kill Inuyasha!"  
  
Kaede frowned, "He's already dead, he just doesn't know it yet. Your mission was to collect the shards of the jewel and return it to its former state. Now you have all the shards! You must complete your duty."  
  
"No. I'm not going to do it." Kagome told her, "We can protect the jewel in many pieces just as well as if it were in one."  
  
Kaede frowned, "I know you think this is right, child, but you are mistaken. However, protection of the jewel is your responsibility. It always will be, no matter how many lives you will live. If this is what you choose, I cannot stop you."  
  
Kagome stared at the old miko for a moment, "Inuyasha isn't dead. He never was. The jewel saved his life, you can believe what you want." She said angrily, feeling a sense of betrayal at the old woman's words. Kaede was supposed to be their friend, then why did she ask Kagome to take away Inuyasha's life?  
  
Kagome made her way into the hut and knelt down beside Inuyasha's sleeping form. He looked so peaceful and innocent lying there. She laid her hand against his bandaged chest, feeling the warmth of his skin and the steady beating of his heart. "You aren't dead."  
  
Inuyasha smiled in his sleep, she was there, the woman, the one he'd saved. She was there, and he sighed in his dreamy world, laying his hand across the warmth on his chest.  
  
Kagome felt tears roll down her face as his hand covered hers, her decision was the right one, she was sure, she could feel it. She sighed contentedly and laid her head on his chest, finding comfort in the steady rhythm of his breath as she quietly drifted into sleep.  
  
Inuyasha woke slowly, surrounded by her scent. Her dark hair fanned out on his chest and he smiled, laying his hands in the raven mass. "Kagome. . ." he sighed, feeling safe and happy for the first time in his life. He wasn't worried; he wasn't angry; he wasn't frustrated. He was just happy and secure. 


	8. The Laws of Nature

Inuyasha healed quickly, in only two days, most likely aided by the power of the jewel shard now imbedded in his body. He woke slowly and stretched languorously. To his surprise, Kagome lay next to him, her face against his shoulder and her arm across his chest. She was so beautiful. The sun rippled through a crack in the door, dancing across her dark hair, making it shimmer with blue. Kagome had not left his side while he was healing. She was there each time he woke, and he never felt her leave his presence. 'She must be exhausted. . .' He thought and slipped away from her, careful not to wake her.  
  
The sunlight hurt his eyes for a few minutes until he got used to it. He made his way along the path through the village and wandered into the fields. The sun felt good on his skin, and he idly recalled that he'd forgotten his shirt. He stared down at the white bandages encircling his chest, and curiously began unraveling the linen, and dropped it in the grass. The wind caught the material and swept it away.  
  
Inuyasha stretched his arms out above him, reveling in the fact that his injuries were healed and he was no longer trapped inside Kaede's hut. The soft grasses tickled his feet as they danced in the wind. He flopped down to the ground, and scanned the area around him. Everything was quiet and peaceful, exactly how he felt at this moment.  
  
Soft footsteps approached. It was Miroku. He calmly seated himself beside Inuyasha, saying nothing. For several minutes, the two of them sat there, serenely watching the landscape. "What are you going to do now?" Miroku asked softly, not looking at Inuyasha.  
  
"I guess I'll help Kagome protect the jewel. Maybe I'll go to her time with her. I don't know." Inuyasha replied. He hadn't really thought about what would happen once the jewel was completed. It had seemed so far away, but now. . .  
  
"Not about that." Miroku said, looking at Inuyasha intensely, "About the shard."  
  
"Shard?"  
  
"The one in your chest. Surely Kagome's told you about it." He remarked, uncharacteristic surprise filling his face.  
  
"No. What are you talking about?" Inuyasha questioned warily, fear twisting in his stomach like a coiled serpent.  
  
"It is not my place to tell you, Inuyasha. I assumed that you'd come out here to think about it and might appreciate the comfort of a friend." Miroku remarked, standing and walking away from him. "You should speak with Kagome."  
  
Inuyasha's peacefulness was shattered. Apprehension and fear rushed over him. Why was the monk being so evasive? What did he need to talk to Kagome? What jewel shard? He was on his feet quickly, racing through the field to the village, and storming into Kaede's cabin.  
  
Kagome yawned and smiled up at him from the sleeping mat. "Hey."  
  
Inuyasha smiled in spite of his fear, "Hey."  
  
Kagome stretched like a cat and stood slowly, grinning sleepily. "Why didn't you wake me up?"  
  
"I just had to think."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Kagome. . .Miroku said something very strange to me a few minutes ago." Inuyasha began.  
  
"He did?" Kagome inquired cautiously.  
  
"He said to talk to you. Something about a jewel shard." Inuyasha prompted. "He wanted to know what I was going to do. What was he talking about, Kagome?"  
  
Kagome cleared her throat nervously. "Oh. . .um. . .well. . .you see. . .jewelshardkeepalive. . ."  
  
"What?" Inuyasha asked, squinting at her in confusion.  
  
Kagome sighed, and looked up at him hopelessly. "The jewel shard is keeping you alive."  
  
Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, shock rippling over him. "What!?"  
  
Kagome swallowed, "Well, you should have died, but the jewel shard prevented it, so now. . .if you take it out. . .you'll. . .uh. . .die. . ." she explained brokenly.  
  
"I'm a walking corpse!?" Inuyasha yelped angrily. He felt sick and angry and frightened.  
  
"No! No! You're not dead!" Kagome argued fervently, laying her hand against his chest. "I can feel your heart beat."  
  
Inuyasha stared at her a moment before turning and tearing through the door. He considered running until he collapsed, much like Kagome had done several days before, but decided against it, knowing it would only numb his thoughts, allowing them to come back again with greater fury.  
  
Instead, he made his way to his favorite tree, and leapt up into its bows, and remained there all day until night fell, and the moon revealed itself to him. The moon. . .it was always there watching. Even when the sun hid it, Inuyasha suspected that it had its eye on him at all times. The moon was funny like that. It was never the same two nights in a row, but it always came back just the same.  
  
"Tell me," he howled at the moon, his body throbbing with fury, "Tell me what fate has against me! Tell me why she won't let me be happy! Tell me what I've done!" He demanded hollowly.  
  
There was now a decision to be made. Should he live a false life, one that was bought by fake energy and not entirely pure magic? Or should he let go, and allow himself to be swept into the afterlife, perhaps for his soul to be recycled and to start over again, or to no longer exist.  
  
Kagome filled his mind. Her kind, expressive brown eyes loomed before him beseeching him to never leave her. Her gentle, powerful soul willed him to fight on to be with her. However, the laws of nature and what was natural were very clear, and nothing but pain and sorrow could come from breaking those laws. Kikyo's fake existence had stolen countless souls, destroyed innumerable lives, and caused immeasurable pain and suffering for any she encountered.  
  
Kohaku's re-existence was similarly cursed, shredding Sango's heart over and over again. His zombie life had slaughtered innocents and plagued Sango, refusing to allow her to accept his death and move on. In the end, his memory of himself had returned, and he had removed the jewel shard with his own hands instead of taking orders from Naraku.  
  
Inuyasha ground his fingers into the wood of the tree. The decision was made. In all reality there had only been one choice. But before he moved on, there was something he had to do. He dropped gracefully from the tree, feet flying as soon as they touched the ground, racing toward Kaede's hut and Kagome. 


	9. The Fire That Joins

Kagome stared into the flames, her gaze unwavering. Inuyasha had been so angry. "He hates me now." She whispered, deeply wishing she could change what had happened.  
  
"No he doesn't." A soft, gruff voice comforted. Kagome turned, her eyes resting on Inuyasha. He stood in the doorway, not angry and without any sign of hatred in his face. Instead, his eyes were warm, liquid amber, filling her to the core with relief and joy.  
  
"Inuyasha!" she cried, launching forward and wrapping her arms around him, a stream of tears flowing from her eyes.  
  
Inuyasha cupped her chin in his hand, tilting her face so she looked up at him. He sighed softly and caught her mouth with his own, pulling her tightly against him and losing his hands in her hair. "Kagome. . . will you come with me. . ." he whispered when he pulled away.  
  
Kagome nodded, and he led her through the door. The night air was cool, and Inuyasha shivered, a tiny, tiny voice telling him he should have gotten his shirt instead of wandering around half-naked. He ignored the voice. It was completely irrelevant at the moment. Who cared how cold it was?  
  
They walked for several moments, their trail leading into the forest. Soon, Kagome found that they were before the ancient tree where Inuyasha was sealed. "One year ago. . ." Inuyasha began, touching the old bark with a mix of sadness and longing, "We met here." Kagome nodded. Somehow she knew Inuyasha wanted to talk, that he didn't want her to interrupt. "I was different then, Kagome. You changed me." He informed her, half accusingly and half wonderingly. "I have never loved anyone as much as I love you, and I doubt I ever will." He told her, his golden eyes seeming to draw her in, to hold her captive in their gaze. "Do you love me Kagome?"  
  
"Yes." Kagome replied, gently lacing her fingers through his.  
  
"Would," he said nervously, "Would you love me however I came to you?" Inuyasha questioned, "Would you love me if I were human? If I were youkai?" he insisted urgently.  
  
Kagome touched his face tenderly, "I love you no matter what."  
  
Inuyasha pulled her against him roughly. "Would you be with me always? Will you be mine forever?" he croaked, his voice breaking with emotion.  
  
"Are you asking me to marry you?" Kagome gasped, eyes searching his face.  
  
"No." he said, shaking his head, "I'm asking for more than that. I'm asking you to be my soul mate. I'm asking you to be with me until the end of time. I'm asking you to love no man more than me. I'm asking for your heart forever."  
  
Kagome stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to say. But somehow, the words came to her. "You want to be with me forever?" she asked softly.  
  
Inuyasha didn't answer, but studied her face desperately, "There is nothing else I have ever wanted this much."  
  
"Me either." Kagome replied, lacing her fingers through his hair. Their lips touched, and they kissed wildly, passionately, and they broke apart, clinging to one another, as their bodies seemed to be filled with unseen flames. "Inuyasha! What's happening?" Kagome exclaimed in fear and agony.  
  
Inuyasha shuddered as the pain subsided, "It's okay. . ." he told her, "It's supposed to be like that. . ."  
  
"What is?" Kagome questioned, her body freed of the burning pain, though a wide line down her back still emanated extreme heat.  
  
"The joining of souls." He whispered. "Look. . ." he slowly turned, and pulled his hair over his shoulder, revealing his back to her. Down his spine, a line of intricate swirls and twists stretched from his hairline down his back to where it disappeared into the back of his pants. The lines were a faint brown, the same color as freckles, and Kagome stared at it surprised.  
  
"What is that?" She wondered, "It's so beautiful. . ."  
  
"You have the same mark now. There's not another soul in all of time that will ever have this mark, and our souls always will." He explained, letting his hair fall back over his shoulder and turning to face her once more. "Do you understand? This will let you find me, no matter what, and I to find you."  
  
Kagome smiled, "This is forever."  
  
Inuyasha nodded, "Forever. My life will always be with yours."  
  
Kagome laughed, the sound echoing brilliantly through the dark woods. "Forever!"  
  
"But Kagome. . ." he whispered, "Listen to me." He pulled her back to him, his hand against his chest between them. "I cannot live a life when I am meant to be dead, Kagome." He kissed her again, lips lingering a long time. "I love you always."  
  
"Inuyasha?" Kagome cried when he pulled away from her, forcing his hand into his chest. "Stop!"  
  
"I can't. This is my choice, Kagome. We'll meet again." And a brilliant pink glow erupted from the gaping wound in his chest. Inuyasha collapsed, laying still and silent on the grass, his long white hair fanning out around him on the dew-covered grass.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shrieked, shaking his still body. He didn't wake, and his peaceful face didn't change. He was gone, and there was nothing she could do about it, there was nothing anyone could. "Noooo!" her scream wailed through the forest. Reaching across the land, it's anguish untold.  
  
Kaede woke from her light slumber with a start. She knew what had happened, she had known from the start that it would. Inuyasha was dead, and Kagome was alone. Kaede lay back down, a tear sliding from her single eye down her grizzled cheek.  
  
Alone in the night, Kagome wept, holding the body of the one she would always love. 


	10. We Will Meet Again

Kagome did not speak for the next two days. Her face was empty and her voice silent when Sango, Miroku, and Shippo came to help her lay his body to rest. At the base of the tree where he was sealed so long ago, they buried him, Kagome scraping an inscription above his head.  
  
Inuyasha  
  
we will meet again  
  
Sango and Miroku tried to comfort her, but realized that the effort was useless and they soon gave up, and led her back to the village. Shippo didn't understand. Inuyasha, yet another of those he loved, was lost to him, and his mate, Kagome, was broken. She was like a hollow doll of her former self.  
  
Kagome was silent, going over his last moments again and again. For some reason, they didn't comfort her. They didn't help the pain to ebb away; they just whirled around her mind, the numbing agony filling her endlessly.  
  
In the morning of the third day, Kagome woke early and called Sango, Miroku, and Shippo out of their beds. They waited patiently as the pale, dark-eyed Kagome spoke. "I'm leaving." She said simply, "You have been so good to me. You are my family here." She told them, "But I have to go home."  
  
"You're not coming back then?" Miroku asked softly.  
  
"No."  
  
"You can't leave me!" Shippo wailed. "You can't not ever come back!"  
  
Kagome dropped to her knees before him. "Shippo, listen. You don't need me. Sango and Miroku. . .they are your Momma and Daddy now. You have to listen to them. You'll be fine without me."  
  
Shippo nodded bravely, "I know, but don't you want to see us anymore?"  
  
"It's not that. I love you very much, Shippo. You're like my little brother, but now we have to move on. I won't forget you, and I know you won't forget me." Kagome told him.  
  
Sango jumped up and locked Kagome in a powerful hug. "Oh, I'm going to miss you!"  
  
Kagome laughed, "I know. Maybe someday I'll come back. Maybe."  
  
Sango laughed with her, wiping tears from her eyes. "Kagome. . .what about the jewel?"  
  
Kagome sucked in an unsteady breath of air, "Keep this shard. If you need me, come for me. Otherwise. . .this is good bye, my friends." She said softly as she pressed a shard into Sango's hand.  
  
***************  
  
It was a painful first few weeks alone in her own time, but Kagome slowly found herself remembering Inuyasha's life rather than his death. Oh, there was no getting rid of the part of her soul that felt ragged and empty without him, but nonetheless, she believed she would meet him again someday, in another life.  
  
It was this thought that drove Kagome onward, which forced her to study madly. It was her desperation to hide the pain of loss that earned her perfect marks in school. In a way, it was her misery that kept her alive.  
  
Her friends noticed the change in her personality, and at first tried to force her out of it. They soon gave up, and accepted that when she worked through her problems that she would come back to them. It bugged them and hurt their feelings, but they respected her wishes to be left alone.  
  
Some days, Kagome didn't feel that she could go on. Some days, she wished she could just fall asleep and never wake up again. Some days, she considered taking her own life, just to get away from it. But she never did.  
  
A year passed, and Kagome's friends seemed to realize that she wasn't going to get better, and that she wasn't going to work through her problems and return to the person she was before. It wasn't going to happen. Kagome became the girl who no one noticed, except when they called out the highest grades in the class.  
  
One day, as she stared at her textbook, remembering the time Inuyasha had stolen her geometry book, she heard the teacher speaking, and slowly emerged from her memory, wishing that it was real, and feeling a lonely tear try to escape from her eye. By the time she had fully come back to the real world, the teacher had finished speaking, and a boy had plopped down in the seat in front of her.  
  
His long black hair spilled onto her desk, and she sighed wearily pushing it off her book, and gazing at the blackboard dully. Suddenly, guy in front of her knocked his book of the desk, irritably muttering to himself, "Feh. . .stupid book. . ." and leaned down to pick it up, flipping his long hair over his shoulder.  
  
Kagome sat straight up in her chair, and her eyes locked on the back of the boy's neck. A stripe of intricate swirls and twist extended from his hairline and disappeared into the back of his shirt. Kagome snapped her hand out and latched onto the back of his collar, pulling him upright in his seat and peering down the back of his shirt.  
  
"Hey! Get offa me!" he protested irritably and pulled away from her, whirling around to face her.  
  
"It's you. . ." she whispered, her voice small and rough.  
  
The boy's wild golden eyes bored into her, a mix of surprise, recognition, and confusion sweeping across his face. He grabbed Kagome's wrist and pulled her to him across the desk, kissing her wildly, blinding her to the world around them. He pulled away slightly, staring at her wonderingly, "Who are you?"  
  
"Kagome." She whispered, smiling and feeling whole once again.  
  
The boy struggled to remember where he'd met her before, struggled to find her face in his memory, but it wasn't there. Something deeper than a chance meeting in the past was happening here.  
  
"Ahem?" The teacher's voice interrupted their wonder and joy, "Thank you, Ms. Higurashi, for greeting our new exchange student so eagerly. Now if you would turn around, Mr. Koruderuru, and we will all move on with the lesson." He scolded.  
  
"My name is Aidenu." He told her with a smile.  
  
"I missed you." Kagome told him, and he turned to listen to the lesson. Things were brighter now, the souls were together again and it could only be better from here on out. Kagome's mind was calm and joyful; she was whole again.  
  
The promise was kept, and forever it would be. After all, someone once said, "We will meet again."  
  
*********************  
  
Okay, folks, this is it, the final chapter. Ten chapters seemed the right number to end this on. Yes, I was very sad when I wrote the last two. *sigh* Well, I guess this is my first complete story. Please tell me what you think of it. Anyway, thank you so much to everyone who commented, and please read my other stories. I don't think they're too bad. Anyway. I hope you've enjoyed my story. 


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